Because Bunnies Should Come in More Than Basic Black

Available at my Etsy shop!

Earthquake!

We just felt an earthquake! Didn't know that was supposed to happen in Kansas. Judging by who else felt it, I'm guessing it was in Oklahoma.

Sulking, In Writing

When 6 year-olds, who are learning to write, decide to sulk:

"Deer Mom,

I du not lieke yu getting a purpl streeke in yur hare. I am gooing to my ruum. Loeve, Zoe."

I convinced her to wait until December to sulk about it, so she went outside to play on her swing set instead. ;->
But I predict she'll actually like the purple streak, and start demanding one in her own hair. (Luckily, the elementary school rules don't allow it.)

Mosaics

I've been working on some mosaics lately. (Christmas presents.) And I certainly know glass is sharp, and I take care when cutting and handling glass tiles. But it's still a surprise to look down and find that my hands are bleeding when I didn't even realize I'd cut myself.

Really?

We're a week from Halloween. It was 83 today. Will probably hit 85 tomorrow.  Are we going to cross over into November with the air conditioning running?  Why is it that people are still denying global warming?!

Coming soon.... pictures of Zoe in gymnastics class. (Yes, soccer is over, so it's time to try something different.)

Short Post

As if I didn't have enough reason to love Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, their free samples get Zoe to try any number of new and unusual foods, which she then decides she loves.  And yet, if I were to offer them to her, she'd never even taste them.

In Cyberspace

People tell me that friendships forged online aren't real.  And yet, if we've commiserated on the computer, shared our joys and sorrows in cyberspace, when you tell me your devastating news, I'll cry just as hard as if we met for coffee down the street every morning.

Homemade Halloween Costumes

Still a week and a half before Halloween, but the holiday carnival at the rec center is tomorrow night, so I've been busy (and bleeding) finishing up Zoe's tabby kitten costume.  All that's left is picking up some face paint tomorrow.

All day I've been running into local parents scurrying to buy one of the picked-over costumes at Target and Marshalls.  There will be lots of princesses, evil stepmothers, and angry birds running around tomorrow night.  And something tells me Zoe won't really appreciate the fact that she has a one-of-a-kind, hand-sewn costume.

Well, at least not yet. Give her 20 years, and she'll probably remember it fondly. (I know I remember loving the costumes my mom put together. The witch one year was especially fabulous, with the spiderweb painted across my face. It itched like mad, but it was worth it.)

Brave Kitty!

I've just gotta share a picture/story from the Boulder Daily Camera.

Brave Cat!

When we lived in Boulder, I got used to the idea of mountain lions being around, even if they were rarely seen.  You brought the pets in at dusk, and if you backed to open space, you eyeballed the yard before you went outside at night.  When we hiked at night, we did so in large groups.  And yet, we rarely saw the big cats, and it's been years since someones been attacked by a lion in Boulder. I think the last one was in 1997 or 1998.

Strangely, this photo makes me homesick.  (Though I really wouldn't want such a big kitty that close to my house.)

Goosebumps

Soccer practice is miserable when it's cold. 45 degrees, windy, and spitting rain.  The moms REALLY could have used a coffee shop on the field tonight.  (The girls were chilly, too, but the coaches kept them running, so that warmed them up a bit.)  I'm glad the final game of the season is this weekend.

Escape!

After the service at UU this morning, I went to pick Zoe up from her class.  She was not in class, and the teacher said she'd never shown up.  Nobody else had seen her either, since the kids made their way downstairs.  I was starting to panic when someone said he thought he'd seen her go into one of the classrooms.  So I went to check.

I opened the door on a seemingly empty classroom.  Then I heard the giggling from under the tables.  Zoe and her friend L had wandered into the wrong room. Rather than correcting their mistake, they decided to stay there, and spent the hour coloring and playing board games -- under the table, so no one would find them.

This does not bode well for the teenage years.

(And the RE director will now be checking all the "empty" classrooms to make sure everyone is in the right spot. Zoe has also promised not to try that again.)

Forgot Again

This blogging everyday thing is kicking my ass. My memory is failing me!

But I swear I'll try and find something interesting to blog about later today.  Zoe's off school today (end of quarter) so I should have plenty of raw material!

I Really Live In This State?

Topeka, KS, just repealed the law against domestic violence. Beat your spouse in Topeka, and you will not be prosecuted.  The lawmakers consider this a "money-saving" tactic.  How many people will have to be killed before they see the idiocy of this move?

Read about it here:  Topeka repeals domestic violence law.

Dichotomy

In Zoe's school folder yesterday there were two notices for me to read.

1:  They want me to sign her up for a school-wide health and wellness program, where the kids promise to exercise for 30 minutes a day and eat only healthy foods. No sweets, no junk food, no fast food.

2: Tonight is McTeacher Night! We're all supposed to eat dinner at McDonalds to raise money for the school, and bonus, Happy Meals are only $1.99.


Anyone see a problem, here?

Copper Hopper Chopper

"Copper Hopper Chopper"

An interesting sculpture at the Overland Park Arboretum.

Danny had the day off today - when you work at a bank,  you get Columbus Day off - so we went out for a nice hike this morning after we dropped Zoe at school.  A perfect day to be in the woods - cool, damp, and quiet.

Fall, For Real This Time

It's nearly the middle of October, and yet it was 82 degrees today. It's been in the 80's for the past week, but tomorrow it's finally supposed to cool off into the 70s, with a possible rain shower!  We've been really dry lately.  I actually can't remember the last time we had rain.

But I do love it when it cools off at night.  And with the leaves beginning to turn, evening walks are irresistable.  This was what the hill behind our house looked like when I started my walk this evening.

And a mere 20 minutes later, this was the view from across the street.  For some reason, once the people are gone for the day, these old stone churches always look haunted and creepy to me.  But kind of neat with the full moon floating above.

Happy Fall!

More Pink (and red and gold) Fountain Pics

Zoe was so excited about the pink fountain picture yesterday that she begged me to take her to see it for real. Luckily, all the fountains in KC are pink this month, so I took her to the more accessible (and more spectacular) fountain at Country Club Plaza.  The spray is certainly pink, but the water in the basin looks very red.  Throw in some golden autumn leaves, and it's quite dramatic.

Pink Fountains

It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the fountains in KC have gone pink!

Unfortunately, this one is in the middle of Ward Pkwy, so I couldn't get back far enough to get the whole fountain in the frame without standing smack in the middle of a very, very busy road.

Change of Direction, Again

I quit!  I'll no longer be pursuing art as a career. Hobby, yes. I'm addicted, and will never give it up. But it's time to accept that I'll never make any money at it. (In fact, far less than the cost of supplies.)  So it's on to something different... details to be revealed later.

In other news, it's October, and I think we hit 90 degrees today. Global warming, anyone?  Maine and NH are starting to look better and better all the time. (Too bad they are not full of web developer jobs.)  Ah, well, winter is coming, and with it, some beautiful snow!  It's time to start planning a really outlandish snowman. Or snowcreature. Something made of snow, anyway, and of exorbitant size and creativity.  I remember the snow sculptures my mom made when I was a kid (creature from the black lagoon, great white shark, etc.) and it's time to introduce Zoe to the concept.

Come on snow!

The Runaround

The Good:  Danny's company switched insurance companies, so we'll have better insurance and save a couple of hundred dollars a month.

The Bad:  The new insurance went into effect 10/1, but they can't supply us with any information yet, other than it's BCBS. No id#, no group#, nothing. Danny spent a lot of time on the phone today trying to get info, because Zoe has an appointment tomorrow.  And yet, we have no proof of coverage.

The Relief:  The doc will wait to file the claim until we have that information, so we don't have to pay for it out of pocket.

Argh. Insurance. Can't live with it, can't live without it.

Day 2

Day 2 of the blog challenge, and again I have nothing important to say!

But it was a nearly perfect day:  Started out cool, then got into the mid-70's.  The trees are starting to turn, so there's an abundance of gold and rust leaves.  The mosquito population is thinning out.

Danny was at the Chief's game today, so I took Zoe to UU (I have a really hard time calling it "church", because it doesn't relate to the churches that left a bad taste in my mouth for years.) and caught up with friends. Then on to her soccer game, to watch the girls run with abandon - sometimes in the wrong direction - across the field.

The coach of the other team was a bit of a tosser, though.  Many parents - of both teams - were muttering about his manner. "Chill out, man," someone said. "He does realize these are first-graders, right?" said another. "Glad MY child isn't on his team."

A coach of elementary school soccer really shouldn't be telling a little girl to "get your lazy ass off the field. Now!"

But questionable coaches aside, it was a fabulous day.  And since Zoe doesn't have school tomorrow, I think I shall take her to breakfast, and then a long walk at the aboretum. Let a pleasant Monday commence!

It's October already?

I guess it is!

I've signed up for NaBloWriMo, or National Blog Writing Month, in which participants attempt to post something on their blog every single day during the month of October.

We'll see how well I do.

We've been releasing late monarch butterflies this week - we raised 3 from caterpillars, and the first emerged from its chrysalis on Monday, one yesterday, and the final one today. They'd better head south quickly... it's getting into the 40's at night, and the trees are starting to turn.

Another sure sign of fall in this area is the Louisburg Cider Mill corn maze. So we headed down today to get lost in the maize (yeah, yeah.)

Zoe grabbed the map from Danny and insisted we follow her (though I don't think she consulted the map at all.) Surprisingly, she actually led us through very quickly. I was truly surprised.   But that was the only enjoyable part of the outing - the crowds were horrific, and we actually stood in line for more than half an hour to buy apple cider.  Only to discover the Louisburg Cider Mill cider at the grocery store later in the day. Next year I'm going to remember that, and save myself some time.

Still Working

Acrylics might dry quickly, but doing large paintings with them seems to take a really long time. So very many layers of paint to give them depth. But I promise I'm working on something, and, with a little luck, it should be done in the next few days.

I actually can't wait to finish, because my head is already ready to move on to the next painting.

When Pigs Fly

Kayaking and Miniature Art

The weather was beautiful this morning (not too hot, not too windy) so I took advantage and went kayaking at Shawnee Mission Park with a friend. It was the perfect morning to be out. The frogs were everywhere, and not the least bit worried about us. In fact, many of them let us get close enough to touch them, so I got some good pictures.

I'm planning to do some more miniature paintings to enter into juried exhibits this fall, and one of the bullfrogs was just begging to be painted. I may even post it in progress here, as I work on the painting. I love miniature art - it's kind of unexpected, and can be finished relatively quickly. (Though it can be hard on the back and on the eyes.)

Since I'm alone in the house at the moment (a rarity!) I may get started now.

I have discovered wild grape vines growing in my yard today. (Please excuse the lack of manicured landscaping. I'm much more of a woods girl than I am a lawn and garden girl.)

Will they bear fruit? Will the fruit be edible?

It takes me back to growing up in NH. Mom would pick wild concord grapes and make jam. Mmmmm.... And that makes me homesick for New Hampshire. Must make a point of getting the family up that way this summer or late this fall. Maybe we'll even pick some grapes.

For Mom, since I apparently failed to post this:

The Amanita (with the slug.)

Crazy Weekend

Danny's family was in this weekend, and we had some crazy weather for them. Saturday night, after most were tucked up in bed, the tornado warning sirens went off, and most of us scurried to the dank basement to wait it out. For me and Zoe, it was the first time we've ever heard the sirens in use.

At UU the next morning, we learned that most people just turned on the weather report then decided not to go down. Apparently the sirens in all our cities go off if a tornado is spotted anywhere in the county. So there was no real threat near us.

The next day, just about when Danny's family was arriving home in SW Missouri, a huge tornado swept through their area and nearly wiped out Joplin. Their town was spared, and they didn't even hear the sirens, but it was too close nonetheless. (And I can't imagine how the residents of Joplin are feeling right now.)

This weekend, we're going out to get a NOAA weather radio so we can really know what is going on when severe weather hits.

But last night was calm, so I made these mushrooms for Danny's desk. He wanted them to make him feel better when the powers that be treat him like a mushroom. (i.e. - keep him in the dark and feed him sh*t.)

It's a Slug! It's Yellow! It's Proof I'm a Bit Odd!

I've been missing the NW lately, and tonight I'm going to the barbecue of a friend who, until recently, lived in Olympia, WA. Along with wine and appetizers, I'm taking my afternoon project, a felt banana slug.

I'm becoming rather fond of the little guy, though, and may make another for myself. And perhaps for Danny - he wants one to sit on his desk at work. Who knew slugs could be cute?

ACEOs - Jay and Goose

2.5" x 3.5" (each)

acrylic on paper

Downy Woodpecker ACEO

2.5"x3.5"

acrylic on paper

original and limited edition prints will be available on Etsy tomorrow

Chameleon, in Color

I decided I liked the chameleon drawing I did a few weeks ago, and decided to do it as a painting. Well, maybe more of an illustration.

The Frog Prince

acrylic ink and watercolor

Spring!

Spring has sprung!

I'll readily admit that I can't stand Kansas in the summer or in the winter. But spring and fall are glorious. Even if this spring has a split personality. One day it's in the forties, the next day it's in the nineties. But everywhere the trees are green - or purple, or pink, or white. The magnolias and red buds are amazing right now. And grape hyacinths are sprouting up in our lawn.

I've taken Zoe out to the Prairie Center twice recently, and wildlife has been everywhere. Deer, turtles, frogs, birds.... we've even seen a porcupine (up in a tree) and a weasel (crossing the path.)

Got to get out and enjoy the weather before it gets too hot and humid to be outside. (Yeah, I'm still a cold-weather Yankee at heart.)

Contest Winner

My February contest is over, and Carol Creech won.

She is an excellent artist, and I think you should check out her website!

Garden Party

5"x5"

acrylic on panel

$28

Forest Mosaic

7.75"x5.5"

Watercolor on paper

$28

Monarch Caterpillar

4"x4"

watercolor and ink on paper

$28

Fantasy Garden w/Columbine

5.5"x6.5"

watercolor and ink on paper

$28

Just Peachy

Seahorse in Peach

7"x10"

pen and ink and watercolor

$28

Octagonal Window

8"x8"

acrylic on canvas

$28

Jack in the Pulpit

4"x6"

acrylic on paper

$28

Fallen Leaf

5.5"x7.5"

watercolor on paper

$28

Red Autumn

16x20"

acrylic on canvas

SOLD

Spring Birches, Green

4"x6"

acrylic on paper

$28

Ferocactus Macrodiscus

5"x5"

acrylic on paper

$28

Bonsai

Orange Bonsai

9"x12"

acrylic on canvas

SOLD

Chameleon

6.3"x7.3"

pen and ink on paper

$28

Two!

Floral

4"x4.5"

ink and watercolor on paper

$28

Tabby Cat

6"x8"

ink and watercolor on paper

$28

Birdie

A little birdie, in pen and ink on paper.

5"x6"

$28

Flower Mandala

12"x12", acrylic on canvas

$28

8"x8", acrylic on board

$28

Mandala

Mandala, acrylic on canvas 8"x8"

$28